Vandals Target Veterans Cemetery
Headstones Stolen, Graffiti Smeared On Walls
POSTED: 8:06 pm MST August 19,
2008
UPDATED: 6:26 am MST August 20,
2008
PHOENIX -- Vandals are stealing headstones, ripping down signs and plastering graffiti on pillars at the Valley's Veteran's National Memorial Cemetery, Phoenix police said."Well, they tried to pry this off the wall,' said Wayne Ellis, cemetery director. Ellis was pointing to a spot where vandals tried to pry open a memorial marker where the remains of one of Arizona's U.S. war veterans is enshrined.Ellis said it's the latest incident in string of crimes targeting the cemetery off Cave Creek Road in north Phoenix.Over the past several weeks, there have been at least a half dozen random acts of vandalism, Ellis said. The crimes range from grave markers stolen to inscripted memories shattered, he said."It's very offensive," Ellis said. "The national cemetery is national shrine where we put to rest our heroes and for someone to come in and defile it isn't appropriate."The National Cemetery of Arizona is home to more than 51,000 fallen veterans, which means there is always a constant flow of visitors 24 hours a day.The last thing Ellis said he wants to do is to close the cemetery early each day."We don't want to have to close our gates here at 5 or 6 in afternoon," Ellis said. "We like having an open cemetery where people can come as they please to visit loved one."Ellis said the cemetery has hired a private security company, and plans are in the works to put up security cameras.Ellis is also making a plea to the public and to cemetery visitors that if they see anyone who looks suspicious to call police immediately.
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